Nakhchivan to host international chess festival

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The International Chess Festival Nakhchivan Open 2017 commemorating the 94th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s national leader Heydar Aliyev is scheduled for May 2-11.

The tournament will bring together 42 chess players from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Bulgaria, Germany, Iran, Russia, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

The players will be seeded in Tournament A if rated above 2250 FIDE (for Women above 2100 FIDE), while the lower rated players will compete in Tournament B. Both groups will be played over nine rounds of Swiss system.

The prize money of the Tournament A is $5,000, Azertac reported. Top prize in the Tournament B is $1,000.

The Festival is organized by the Azerbaijan Youth & Sport Ministry, Azerbaijan Chess Federation and Nakhchivan AR Chess Federation.

Grandmaster Eltaj Safarli won the previous tournaments in 2015 and 2016.